A Reckoning Day
by PerditaAlottachocolate
Summary: Chat Noir gets trapped by an akuma and has to face his mortal enemy. But is the person under the mask really his enemy? And what do they want? The time has come for Chat to make a choice. Days of Gabriel Agreste (Gabriel Appreciation Week, Day 2, 6 and 7)
1. Paris

_Author's Note: I can't imagine Gabriel Appreciation Week without some angst (no matter what some people say, you know who you are). This is a two-part story, that's going to find its conclusion on Day 6. Prompt for Day 2 is Hero/Villain._

 _This is an idea that I've been contemplating for a while, but I never got to write the full story (although some of it is even outlined). As I have no idea if I ever get the time to write it, I've decided to use it here in a much shorter version._

 _I still hope you'll find it interesting._

 _One more thing: this was mostly written before Sapotis was even announced to air, this has nothing to do with that episode._

* * *

 **"Days of Gabriel Agreste", Day 2: "A Reckoning Day"**

In the hindsight Chat Noir thought he should have been more careful. But new powers and new teammates apparently gave him a false sense of security. Time hadn't managed to temper his bravado and recklessness. He thought they were invincible, like any teen would. They weren't. _He_ wasn't.

The akuma, although unsettling, as this was Alya's little sister, seemed pretty easy. Had he been paying attention to Alya's blabber about her siblings, he would have known Etta and Ella were inseparable. Where one went, you always found the other too. It was only logical, that they would share not only the DNA signature but also the evilization. But by the time Chat understood that Twinster wasn't a singular akuma it was already too late.

He'd been bound with heavy rope beyond the point of being able to free himself (who would have thought kids were so good with knots? [author's note: any parent careless enough to leave a kid with a piece of string and enough time]). What was even worse, Ladybug and Queen B were still fighting with the other twin, who held Alya hostage. They were oblivious to the fact, that both Etta _and_ Ella had been akumatized.

Last thing Chat remembered was the whirlwind of toxic green fumes and then everything went black.

* * *

He woke up tied to a chair, in the middle of an angry hissing exchange happening above his head.

'I told you not to harm him!' Someone was seething.

'He's all right, just a bit battered,' a tiny voice dismissed the concern. Chat recognized it as one of the Twinsters. Who would the first person be? 'Anyway, you have what you wanted. The first miraculous is yours. Can I go back and play with my sister now?'

Now that answered his few initial questions pretty quickly. Chat decided to play possum for a little longer. The retreating footsteps indicated that the Twinster left. He held his breath as he was trying to pick up any sounds indicating what his enemy was doing. He shuddered when he felt a wisp of warm air on his cheek.

'I know you're awake. I'm an empath, I can sense these things, you know,' the low, honeyed voice whispered by his ear. 'You can open your eyes now.'

The feline hero stubbornly kept them closed. He scrunched his nose and wiggled in his bonds. This learned him a heavy sigh in reply.

'Please, stop. This won't get you anywhere.' The voice retreated. Now it was coming from somewhere above him. 'We need to talk.'

Chat decided to ignore this. He heard a chuckle. He already suspected Hawkmoth had more than one screw loose. It seemed like the basic requirement for someone who decided to terrorize an entire city with the use and because of powerful magical artifacts.

'I don't know if this is good or bad news for you, but your teammates seem to be losing without you,' the man teased. The boy could practically hear the shit-eating grin stretching Hawkmoth's lips. 'Especially the charming spotted girl you seem so fond of.'

The black hero knew his captor was trying to vex him. But he couldn't help it. At the mention of Ladybug his eyes popped open. He was expecting some screens or other devices enabling the villain to follow the battle through the media. He only saw the back of the man, looking just like in Volpina's illusions. A purple glow surrounded his head, and when he turned to face him, Chat Noir saw that it was caused by a butterfly-shaped outline covering his eyes. Hawkmoth pierced him with his stare and the purple overtones somehow made it a hundred times more powerful. The corners of the man's lips quirked in sinister smirk.

Chat balled his fists almost involuntarily and he hissed when his claws sank in the pads of his palms. 'Why are you keeping me here?' He growled through clenched teeth. 'Why haven't you taken my ring?'

He noticed the glow around Hawkmoth's face faded as the villain strolled casually in his direction. Chat could tell he had the man's full attention now. Good, he thought, keep him talking so that he can't advice his Akumas. The boy knew that all Ladybug needed to win was an edge, and he would happily provide her with even this small one.

'Oh, you're finally ready for a little chit chat?' Hawkmoth came to a stop in front of Chat's chair. He stood firmly, straight and proud. There was something extremely familiar about his demeanor when he looked down at the boy, his gaze bearing such authority and intolerance of disobedience that Chat had to fight the urge to cower. It took all of his superhero strength to hold the villain's stare. He silently nodded his confirmation never breaking eye contact. Something flashed in the purple man's eyes when the boy metaphorically stood his ground in the stare contest. Something very much like appreciation.

'First of all,' Hawkmoth drawled in a low murmur, his voice suddenly not so cold anymore, 'as a fellow miraculous holder you know as well as me, that you have to give the jewel willingly or it won't be accessible to anyone else.'

Chat nodded again, keeping his face carefully blank. After the time they had been captured by Dark Owl, he and Ladybug talked at length with their kwamis and between themselves. The "willing" part was a great advantage, although it didn't change the fact that taking away their miraculous would result in exposing their identity. Besides, some of the akumas were really close to effectively blackmailing them into giving the miraculous out of their own free will - Ladybug almost did it for Volpina, and only Chat's wits prevented her from doing so.

Hawkmoth smiled. 'And I have no doubt you're not exactly willing to share yours?' A ghost of a chuckle escaped the villain's lips, as if he was amused with his own joke.

Chat couldn't help but to grin at that. Somehow he felt more at home with an opponent who seemed to like to banter. And then his captor surprised him again.

'But basically,' Hawkmoth hesitated for a moment, returning to the serious tone, 'I'm not interested in taking it away. I would be quite content if you keep it, actually.'

Wait. What?

The villain snickered and his smirk deepened. Did he say it out loud? Chat shook his head. Once again Hawkmoth caught him off guard, he should be more alert. 'What do you want from me then?' he asked, determined to keep his enemy occupied. 'Serve as bait? Where no one can see me?' He cast the man a disbelieving look, raising his chin up defiantly.

Hawkmoth's eyes narrowed and that pleased gleam flashed in them again. 'I'm really proud of you, son. I always admired your quick thinking and witty comebacks. I never have been among those pegging you as Ladybug's side kick. You deserve much more than to be bait.'

As appreciative as the man's reply could have seem, this wasn't answering his questions. 'If you don't want my miraculous, and you don't want me, why am I here?'

The villain snickered again. 'Oh, I never said I didn't want it,' he reached for Chat's right hand but stopped millimeters from the clawed fingers and withdrew after a moment of hesitation. 'On the contrary,' he straightened up again. 'I want your ring. And I want it on your finger, son.'

The boy felt fed up with this strange game. And the fact that the villain was patronizing him was making his stomach twist. 'Stop that,' he growled.

'Stop what?' the man raised his brows in surprise at that sudden reproof.

'Stop calling me "son". I'm not your son,' Chat Noir spat.

'Wrong again, Adrien,' Hawkmoth whispered. 'Nooroo, dark wings fall!'

Now Chat was actually glad he was tied to the chair. There was no way he would still be standing after seeing his mortal enemy detransforming into his own father. His brain was too occupied to provide his body with any instructions whatsoever, so he was also glad the heart and the lungs had their own software. Although he would appreciate if his heart could climb down from his throat and sped down a bit.

'This is a trick,' the boy finally choked out. 'It's an illusion.' Volpina had made him think he was chasing Hawkmoth. He wasn't going to fall for that trick again. Twinsters might have had more powers than they'd let on.

'I assure you Adrien, there's no trick,' the apparition said. It reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Chat felt its warmth through his suit. He saw his own masked reflection in Gabriel's glasses. He felt the man squeezing his flesh reassuringly. 'This really is me.'

Somewhere at the back of Adrien's head a tiny terrified voice was screaming that not only Hawkmoth was his father, but he apparently knew Chat's secret identity for god knows how long. His brain burst with a myriad of questions. He was unable to choose any one of them, so he settled on a single, 'Why?'

'As you youngsters like to say, because reasons,' Gabriel chuckled and shrugged. 'You'll have to be more specific.'

'Why have you revealed yourself to me?'

'Ah, glad to see you cut straight to business, Adrien,' his father nodded appreciatively. 'Because I want you to join me, of course.'

* * *

'That was a good choice, Adrien,' his father said as he let him down the secret passage and back into his study. The boy restrained from comment, still processing all that had happened. Plagg stayed silent after he dropped his transformation. He didn't even spare his father a glance, just hid in Adrien's pocket and remained quiet.

The conversation was going on repeat in Adrien's brain as they sat in silence and ate their dinner.

' _Are you really asking me to choose between Mom and Ladybug?' As far as Adrien was concerned this was what his decision bore down to._

 _Gabriel took of his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'You don't understand,' he finally replied, clearly forcing himself to be patient. 'There is no choice. Once I change the timeline and reverse the damage, you can be with your Ladybug, you can keep the ring. I promise,' he concluded putting both his hands on Chat Noir's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. All Adrien could see in them was a silent plea._

The boy already knew that scene would stay with him for days. Never before had he seen his father pleading, vulnerable. It was a first when Gabriel finally told him the true story of his mother's disappearance, his voice broken, his eyes full of regret. He never said whose fault that had been, but it was clear to Adrien he blamed himself, even if as far as the boy understood, he wasn't even there.

Once again he looked at his father and for the first time he could see past the mask he wore every day. Past the confidence, coldness and stiffness. He finally saw that inside that iron shell he was a trembling, despaired, shadow of the man he used to be.

' _That was a good choice, Adrien.'_

Those words echoed in his ears. Was it really a good idea to be loyal towards Gabriel, breaking the alliance with Ladybug? Was it really that simple? His father dismissed Adrien's concerns but the boy still felt that the choice he made was a choice between the love of his life and his parents. He wanted to trust his father but at the back of his head doubts still lurked, whispering, poisoning his thoughts.

When Gabriel fixes the damage will Adrien still have the miraculous? Will he even get to be Chat Noir? Will he meet Ladybug?

' _Just remember your side of the bargain,' that was Adrien's reply to Gabriel's promise._

' _I swear I won't hurt your spotted girlfriend,' the man repeated and then smirked, 'Or should I say I won't crush your crush?'_

 _The boy couldn't help but to scowl at him, 'That's not the only thing you promised though,' he reminded, ignoring the terrible pun._

' _Fine. You'll be the one to take her miraculous and I will return the gems to the both of you once I'm done,' Gabriel averted his gaze from the boy to open the door for them. 'You will be free after that to do whatever you want to.'_

Adrien clenched his fist. Somehow the weight of the ring tripled in the last few hours and the usually cool metal burned his skin. He had made his decision and was determined to keep his resolve. But was it a good choice? Time would show.

* * *

 _AN: Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear what you think about this story. Feedback is really important to me. Your comments make me want to write more._

 _Many thanks to Remasa who suffered through a heart break beta reading this, but helped a lot with shaping it into the final version. I encourage you to check her stories, not only those for GAW. There a lot of A-class Gabriel there!_

 _Check out my other stories (there are a few featuring Gabe!) and visit me on_ _tumblr_ _(perditaalottachocolate-blog). I tend to post sneak peeks of the stories I'm working on and share mostly miraculous content._


	2. Tibet

_Author's Note: Back to angst. There's going to be one more chapter after this._

* * *

 **"Days of Gabriel Agreste", Day 6: Tibet**

'We're almost there,' his father stated, checking their position on his map. They were nearing the red dot marking the site, where Adrien's mother had been last seen, at least according to the agents Gabriel had hired. The hike to the village wasn't really draining, but Adrien noticed he started slowing down, as if dreading the final moment this all was leading to.

His mother took this path a few years ago. She looked at those same peaks, brushed with snow, at the meadows of juicy green grass, at the flowers blooming in the spring sun. Had she had any idea there was a threat following her footsteps? Had she known the risks of her escapade? Whatever it had been that had happened here, it cost him two parents, as the remaining one couldn't cope without the lost one, spiralling down into the madness that gave birth to Hawkmoth.

The moment Gabriel told him the truth of Adele's disappearance, or at least a version of truth as none of this was solid knowledge, Adrien couldn't stop thinking about it. He wondered how his father hadn't gone totally crazy, dealing with it for so much longer. Now there was finally a spring in Gabriel's step. Wind played with his graying hair, but he took no notice. The man pushed forward, increasing the pace of their stroll, prompting Adrien to go faster. The boy noted the signs of exhaustion and the effects of climate change, but Gabriel seemed to be fuelled by sheer determination at this point and nothing could deter him from dealing with the matter as soon as possible.

Adrien took a deep breath, drawing the crispy mountain air into his lungs, as he watched his father's back. He felt the guilt settling low in the pit of his stomach, as his fingers ran over the box with red earrings, secured in his pocket. He remembered the triumph in Gabriel's eyes the moment he brought them, and he hated himself all the more for what he had done. There wasn't a single day when he hadn't questioned his choice. Between rock and a hard place, he thought bitterly, why was this his life? Eons old rocks surrounded him now and whatever the outcome, his future for sure would be a hard place.

Hair raised at the back of his neck as he sensed hidden eyes watching them. The unease he always felt when he was being watched had been slowly brewing since he set his feet on the grounds of the Lhasa-Gonggar Airport. It didn't leave him for one moment while they stayed in Lhasa looking for a guide and means of transportation. And the more Gabriel came alive, filling up with hope, the more Adrien felt the whole ordeal killing him, eating him up piece by piece.

They sent off their guide at the last town, and explored the neighborhood for a few days, pretending to be just excited tourists. It was hard to seem inconspicuous. Two tall, blond, light-eyed Frenchmen were bound to draw attention, especially when one of them spoke fluent Mandarin (which was utterly useless in a province dominated by other ethnic groups, but provided a much needed ice-breaker and entertainment for the locals). As the excitation with their presence burned out, the two Agrestes slowly moved towards their destination and today their journey was finally over, above the last village in the middle of Tibetan nowhere.

He would have missed the ruins if his father hadn't shouted for him to stop. Gabriel already left the path an was slowly climbing down the slope to the wide terrace littered with debris. From up high it looked like ordinary rocks, covered in moss, surrounded by grass and overgrown shrubs, but when Adrien joined his father, he saw the place was special. The stones were in fact fragments of a building, but scattered around an impressively large area. They bore signs of a violent event, crushed, blackened with smoke, glittery with colorful soot of unknown origin. The reports Gabriel got contained information about explosions, fire, thunder, the locals recalling a powerful storm occurring in the area. Whatever it really was, left unimaginable destruction in its wake.

Adrien stood at the edge of the ruins, while his father was already inside, inspecting the debris, picking up fragments of stones, mapping the area. The boy turned back to assess the distance from their path. He shielded his eyes from the sun, when he caught a glimpse of movement high above on the ridge. It was hard to see anything against the sun, and when he was able to take a good look, there was nothing there. Yet the sensation of being watched wouldn't leave him even now, kilometers away from the nearest settlement.

His father called out to him, pointing to something among the sooty stones and Adrien carefully stepped over to inspect his father's findings. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what Gabriel uncovered. The man brushed away the dirt and pulled a chain half buried in the gravel of the ruins. A once golden locket, identical to the one his father owned, hung from the end of the chain. The man grasped the pendant between his fingers and pried it open. Before his fist closed over the locket Adrien glimpsed a picture of a much younger Gabriel fitted inside.

A strangled choke escaped his father's lips. Adrien averted his gaze from the man, allowing him a moment of privacy. He looked around himself, just in case he spotted something more. And he did. Not far away, under another stone he found a fragment of blue fabric of his mother's favorite blouse. A few other shreds were stuck out here and there, clearly visible in the bright light of the early afternoon. Adrien pulled the few fragments of cloth and returned to his father.

Gabriel gasped and pressed the material to his chest. 'She was here,' he whispered. 'She really was here.'

Adrien didn't want to think about the implications of finding those things among the debris. He felt uneasy at the sight of his father trembling and mumbling something under his breath. That was not the man he was used to having around.

It was uncanny but Adrien's heart didn't clench, tears didn't run down his cheeks. He felt the shivers down his spine, but not in a way he'd expect.

 _Danger._

Every nerve in his body screamed at him in white hot letters.

 _Danger._

His skin covered in goosebumps and he could almost feel the copper flavor of static charge filling the air. Had he been transformed, he was sure his ears would flatten and his tail would lash viciously behind him.

Adrien swept his gaze over the ruins, the slope, the ridge, but once again found nothing and no one there. Yet the creepy feeling of being watched, the disturbing shiver of approaching threat were undeniable. Something was wrong, he just needed to figure out what it was. And fast.

He poked at the pocket of his shirt. 'Plagg?' he whispered.

'I can feel it too, kid,' the pocket replied. 'Something's up.'

It was almost painful how quick the cogs in his brain were turning now. He looked at the blue shreds again, and at the locket dangling from his father's fingers. How long had they been buried here, waiting for them to be found? How many summers and winters? How many rains and heats? How many people came here looking for his mother on his father's demand?

Yet the fabric was shiny as new, untouched by the weather, unsoiled. The blue dye hadn't faded. The rips were precise, the edges not ragged. The locket was covered in patina, but no more than his father's had been. They were both old, antique to start with. And it took them what, no more than five minutes to find these, while the villagers and search parties had returned empty handed time after time.

'Father?' Adrien grasped the edge of the conclusion, trying to shape it before wording it for Gabriel. 'I don't think-'

'Adrien, give me Ladybug's miraculous, please,' the older man replied. Only then the boy noticed his father had already taken the grimoire out and had it opened at the page describing the joined powers of the two main miraculous. He put the peacock brooch over the book as well. Now he was setting up the ritual. 'I think it would be safer if you hide behind that wall,' he pointed at a piece of debris big enough to shield him from whatever his father would be doing. 'I have only a vague idea of how this might work.'

'Father, listen. Something's-' he tried once again.

'Adrien, the miraculous,' Gabriel interrupted, not even looking up from the yellowed pages, as his fingers traced the ancient spell.

Adrien's fist wrapped itself around the box out of its own volition. He sent his father a blank look, as if he just remembered what he had in his pocket. The moment of truth came sooner, than he thought.

'Just give me the damn miraculous already,' Gabriel growled impatiently, finally looking back at him.

Adrien snapped back from his reverie when he saw the determined blue eyes once again demanding something of him. The boy threw the box up and his father caught it greedily. Only when he opened it and brushed his fingers over the contents his face fell. His eyes darted back to Adrien, searching for an answer.

'I thought,' he mumbled. 'I thought you-'

'This madness must end, father,' the boy replied keeping his gaze. His fist clenched protectively over the miraculous on his finger. He felt Plagg shifting in his pocket. 'And it ends here and now,' he accented his declaration with a stamp of his foot. He was surprised his voice didn't waver.

'You-' Gabriel snarled, but the rest of the sentence died in his throat, as the box with the earrings and the peacock brooch shot right out of his hands.

'I'll take that now. Thank you for returning them, dear,' they heard a familiar voice right behind them.

Adele stepped onto the debris, a wicked smile stretching her lips. 'Aren't you happy to see me?'

* * *

 _AN:_ Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear what you think about this story. Feedback is really important to me. Your comments make me want to write more.

Many thanks to Remasa, who suffered through a heart break beta reading this, but helped a lot with shaping it into the final version. I encourage you to check her stories, not only those for GAW. There a lot of A-class Gabriel there!

Check out my other stories (there are a few featuring Gabe!) and visit me on tumblr (perditaalottachocolate-blog). I tend to post sneak peeks of the stories I'm working on and share mostly miraculous content.


	3. Regret

_Author's Note: Gabriel Appreciation Week, Day 7: Regret. This is my last prompt for this week. I hope you'll like the finale of this story!_

* * *

 **"Days of Gabriel Agreste", Day 7: Regret**

'Aren't you happy to see me?'

The smile on his mother's face was unnerving. It wasn't the soft, tender smile burned into Adrien's memory. It was malicious, rigid and unforgiving. The boy raised his eyes to meet the emeralds so similar to his own and gasped. Adele's eyes bore nothing of the love he used to see in them. They were void of any emotion but spite. Their green was dimmed and he realized, there was a crimson shade to them, as if someone decided to shatter emeralds and rubies and then encrust her irises with their joined splinters.

The woman stood at the edge of the ruins taxing them with those disturbing eyes. She was dressed in mountaineer gear, just like them, except for a bag that hung across her shoulder. Pieces of the blue blouse stuck out of it together with a hilt of a knife. There was a snake shaped bracelet wrapped around her right wrist, looking strangely out of place considering the rest of her clothes. Two red rubies were set into the head of the snake and Adrien was almost sure that the way they reflected the sunlight wasn't natural.

'Adele!' Gabriel cried, choking on a sob. He hesitated for a moment, as if not sure if his legs would carry him. Then he took a tentative step towards her but she raised a hand to stop him. Her eyes narrowed as she glowered at him.

'Stay where you are!' she warned. 'I'll just take what I need and you can be back on your way in no time.'

'What the hell are you talking about,' Adrien's father frowned. 'We came to save you, to bring you back after-' he faltered, as if he just realized he never got to perform the ritual. 'You're okay,' he sighed in relief. 'You- Where were you?!'

Adele shrugged, her face painfully neutral. 'Here and there. No places that would interest you.' She pocketed the peacock miraculous and the box with the earrings. 'Now be a good husband and pass me the book and your miraculous.'

Gabriel blinked, rendered speechless by her attitude and demand. Adrien shuddered at the sight. This was another thing on top of all the others that didn't add up. How on earth could she be so detached after all the time she had been missing?

'Mom?' he gulped, his throat suddenly dry and his heart pounding painfully in his chest. He never thought he would actually get to address her again.

Adele turned her attention towards him. Something flickered in the cold eyes, a sparkle of warmth, but it died as quick as it appeared. 'Hello, Adrien,' the lack of emotions in her voice was like a slap across his cheek. She didn't say anything else, making it seem like her intent was only to greet him. She stared at him, those ruby-green eyes piercing him and ripping his soul apart.

The woman raised a brow, as if waiting for him to reply, but his voice was lost together with his wits.

'Adele-' Gabriel started, trying to get closer to her again.

'I said **don't move** ,' she spat, her hand once again raised in his direction. But this time, _this time_ there was a flash of crimson light that flung his father backwards. He slammed into the rocky ground, skidding a few meters before coming to a stop beside Adrien, his face twisted into a shocked scowl.

With Gabriel out of the way Adele stepped lightly over the stones and picked up the grimoire. The two men stared at her in mute surprise. She brushed a speck of dust from the book and put it in her bag next to the two items she took earlier. Then she turned to them with an uninterested look on her face.

'Your miraculous,' Adele demanded extending her hand. ' _Both_ of you,' she emphasised eyeing the ring on Adrien's finger.

'H-how... can you d-do that...?' Adrien heard his father's broken voice. 'You d-disappeared! They… they told me you- … they said you were dead!'

'They told you what I wanted you to hear,' she didn't even grant him a look, her eyes sweeping over his figure, presumably in search for the moth brooch. 'And eventually, what I needed you to hear. Miraculouses, now,' she repeated, her voice pitched higher as she was losing her patience.

But his father was still processing her appearance and the consequences of her scarce words. Adrien doubted the man even heard her, his brain probably filtering the sensations not to cause an overload.

'You were fine all this time?' Gabriel's shocked expression matched Adrien's own face, as he tried to make some sense out of it all. 'While we were missing you? _Mourning_ you?'

Adele didn't reply. She just bit her lower lip and cast a nervous look to the side.

'You left us!' the accusation his father voiced burned into Adrien's heart with the finality of the conclusion.'You left us, and you tricked us into thinking you were dead. How could you do that?'

'I thought it would be easier this way,' the woman replied, finally a shadow of regret in her eyes.

'Why? What have you been doing?'

Adele shot him an exasperated look, her cold demeanor returning with doubled force. 'That's not your business. Just give me the miraculous,' she repeated.

'No!' Gabriel hissed, pushing himself to his feet. 'I demand an explanation. You owe us that at least! I spent years looking for you!'

'I don't owe you anything,' she drawled through clenched teeth. 'That Adele you were looking for died in ruins similar to these, four years ago,' her hand brushed gently over the snake bracelet. 'Maybe she owed you something, I really can't tell.'

'So you never planned to come back? To me and to your own son?' With his father's hand pointing to him Adrien felt a tug in his heart at the realization he had truly been abandoned all this time.

Adele actually had the audacity to cackle; a very unladylike snort escaping her lips. 'Ah, a loving wife and a doting mother,' she sneered. 'That's what you've always wanted from me, right? Well, where's the fun in that, when you can do whatever you want and get whatever you desire with a flick of your finger?'

She snapped her fingers causing another ruby flash that hit Gabriel in the chest and he fell backwards again, landing on his butt with a pained grunt; to her loud amusement. He gaped at her, as if finally the reality came crashing down on him.

'I can't believe this,' he clutched at his hair. 'I did everything to find you, short of causing a war!' he wasn't even talking to her anymore, his voice barely above a whisper and unseeing eyes fixed onto the ground. 'I terrorized a whole city. I almost killed A- I did all those awful things,' a loud groan spilled from his twisted lips.

Adele replied with a chuckle, as gentle as metal scratching glass. 'Oh, that part I really appreciate,' she grinned in satisfaction. 'I must admit that I was impressed that you've managed to make use of those artifacts, before I could intercept them. The rise of Hawkmoth really piqued my interest, and I was closely following your progress. One should never say no to more power,' she added with a shrug. 'I was racking my brains for a way to track the Great Guardian and get those miraculouses, but I would have never thought of that.'

In that moment it all clicked for Adrien, all the puzzles falling into place as he finally saw the full picture behind the information Gabriel managed to get out of her.

'That's why there was a new report?' he asked, speaking for the very first time.

'It was all a ruse?' his father followed. He must have caught onto the facts by now too.

'Of course,' Adele grinned. 'Haven't you realized I went missing in a different part of Himalaya? This is just some random site and a bit of color dust to make it look more plausible,' she waved at the soot on the stones.

'And the explosions?'

'Storms do happen in the mountains,' she rolled her eyes. 'I just needed to find a place where one occurred at a time that would match a certain period and it isn't _that_ hard. Now give me your miraculouses and I'll let you go, for old times sake.'

Adrien's hand involuntarily went to his ring and too late he recognized his mistake. Adele laughed and whistled. Half a dozen black-clad men emerged from behind the shrubs. They were at least as tall as Adele, and she wasn't short to begin with. Only their eyes could be seen from under their dark hoods covering their heads. Each wielded a sword, that glistened ominously in the afternoon sun. The biggest one of them grunted something and prepared to charge, but the woman stopped him with a raised hand.

Now Adrien felt Plagg moving anxiously in his pocket. He understood. Several miraculous were now at stake, together with an actual _manual_.

'One last chance, gentlemen,' his mother declared, her voice echoing in the valley.

Adrien tried to catch his father's eye to assess his state and maybe prompt him to resist. But Gabriel just looked blankly in his wife's direction, his shoulders slumped, his head hung. A deep frown carved his forehead.

The big thug made a few steps in their direction, brandishing his sword. Adrien didn't need any more signs, he needed to act _now_. Green light washed over his body as he was already moving towards his father. His transformation made the thug falter in his step, but it wasn't enough to actually stop him. Chat Noir leaped in front of Gabriel, his baton ready to deflect the hits.

The clang of metal on metal filled the air as the remaining mercenaries moved to attack the feline hero. He stood his ground, parrying and pushing them back. Six to one was doable. He had managed worse odds than that.

Adele huffed, clearly annoyed with his resistance. 'You are making this difficult, Adrien,' she said raising the hand with the snake bracelet. She murmured something and started to weave a spell, ruby strands of magic twisting in her palm. 'Move away guys,' she instructed and aimed at Chat Noir.

'Not gonna happen,' the announcement came out of nowhere, just like the yoyo that wrapped itself around Adele's wrist and tugged it to the side. The spell she'd been weaving dissolved into mist and disappeared. The woman groaned furiously and followed the string up, to the place where Ladybug proudly stood, feet planted firmly on the stones. 'Don't even think about making a dragging cat pun,' she said before Adele could even open her mouth.

'You okay, Kitty?' the heroine shot Chat with a worried look. She yanked her yoyo freeing Adele's hand.

'All the better for seeing you, my Lady,' he grinned, not for a moment stopping the fight. But now he was deflecting the hits with new vigor. A few throws of a yoyo and a few hits of his baton later, the thugs were already lying on the ground, blissfully knocked out. Ladybug started her descent towards him.

Adele reached to the bag and pulled out the box with the earrings. She pressed her lips into a thin line when she inspected the pieces of jewelry. Adrien knew they were forged almost to perfection. He had no idea how Marinette managed to pull it off, but if he hadn't known, he would have been fooled himself. Of course, up until the point when no kwami appeared after touching them.

'You will pay for this,' the woman growled and dropped the earrings, picking up the peacock brooch instead. A flash of blue light and Paon was launching herself at Chat and Gabriel.

'Over my dead body,' Ladybug roared, vaulting herself high into the air.

'That can be arranged,' Paon retracted her fans and sent them flying in her direction.

Chat didn't even think before he leaped, turning in the air to shield himself and Ladybug with his staff. But the fans slid over it easily and hit him directly in the chest, sending him senseless into the ground. The darkness closed around him to the distant cry of 'No!' that ripped from two throats.

He fought to stay awake, to keep his eyes opened. His ears filled with white noise of the blood roaring in his veins.

'Adrien, do you hear me?'

Strong hands grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. He heard the swoosh of Ladybug's yoyo deflecting shots. Chat shook his head and the ringing in his ears finally ceased. He looked into pale blue eyes hidden by a silver mask.

'Father?'

'That was a good choice, Adrien,' Hawkmoth admitted. 'I'm sorry,' he added in a timid voice and the boy could read the rest of the apology in his dimmed eyes.

Chat's pupils only got larger, 'Yeah,' he choked out. Maybe he will be forgiven for his betrayal after all. The moth wielder sent him a weak smile of consolation.

'What do you say,' Hawkmoth nodded in the direction of Ladybug still shielding them from Paon. 'Time to stop this madness?'

'I thought you'd never ask,' Chat grinned at him.

'One,' Hawkmoth brandished his cane.

'Two,' Chat swung the baton.

'Three.'

They charged.

* * *

 _That's it. I honestly wish I had more time and give this story the attention it deserves. I feel that this chapter is a bit rushed and I should work more on the emotional side of it. But time was up._

 _I definitely want to develop this into a longer story. My initial idea was focused on love square dynamics after Chat's betrayal, this was supposed to be a background plot line that I've explored purely because of Gabriel Appreciation Week._

 _I appreciate your comments greatly, they make me want to write more. Please share your thoughts._

 _A gigantonormous thank you to Remasa, for her constant presence throughout the week, for patient beta reading throughout my typos and plot holes, for brainstorming and pulling the best ideas out of me. Check out her stories, they are pure gold!_

 _I had a lot of fun, even if I am dead tired. I hope you had fun too?_

 _I invite you to read my other fics and to visit me on tumblr (perditaalottachocolate-blog), I post my stories and sneak peeks and share mostly miraculous stuff._


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